John Fredriksen’s Seadrill is planning to layoff 112 employees in Houston from May 1, according to a notice to the Texas Workforce Commission.
The employees to be let go are from the operations of semi-submersible West Capricorn, currently working in the Gulf of Mexico under a contract with BP.
BP is planning to extend its standby period for the rig. Bill Traylor, Seadrill’s director of human resources said BP’s decision is “sudden, unexpected and outside of Seadrill’s control.”
The layoffs are expected to be completed by May 14.
Seadrill cut a total of 2,347 jobs through 2015 and it is looking to continue layoffs through 2016. “In the face of the severe downturn in our industry our priorities for 2016 are to conserve cash and address our financing needs,” Per Wullf, ceo and president of Seadrill Management, said in February.
